Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was generated from vehicle excise duty receipts in Greater Manchester in the last year for which information is available.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not hold information on the amount of vehicle excise duty revenue collected by geographical region. The total vehicle excise duty revenue collected in financial year 2014-15 was around £6 billion.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing regulations on drones; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply one of the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world. There are existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK. The Department and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) work with a wide range of industry partners across the aviation sector, (including manufacturers, airports, and airlines), to ensure our understanding of potential hazards to aircraft remains up-to-date and mitigations effective. Further work is underway to better understand the risk posed by flying drones close to commercial planes to ensure that regulations remain fit for purpose. Awareness and education on current restrictions are vitally important. The Civil Aviation Authority is undertaking activities to raise awareness of the basic safety requirements, including an ongoing ‘Dronecode’ safety awareness campaign, issuing safety leaflets at the point of sale, publishing an animated video on their website, and running ‘small UAS’ Risk and Hazard workshops with industry as part of the Mid Air Collision Programme.

Pedicabs: Greater London

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with Transport for London on the (i) timetable and (ii) provisions of legislation on pedicabs in London to ensure that they are able to regulate swiftly once primary legislation is in place.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The need for urgent action on pedicabs was discussed at the Secretary of State’s meeting with the Mayor on 13 June, and at Lord Ahmad’s meeting with the Deputy Mayor for Transport on 16 June. Officials from the Department for Transport have had regular meetings with their opposite numbers in Transport for London to ensure that TfL are ready to respond as soon as the necessary primary legislation is enacted.

Rebecca Coriam

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide a schedule of documents held by his Department relating to the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam from the Disney Wonder cruise ship in March 2011 and the investigation into that disappearance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am happy to provide the Honourable Member with full details about the documents held by the Department relating to the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam and have asked officials to write to him with this information.

Tees Valley Railway Line

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what date his Department expects the replacement of Pacer trains on the Tees Valley Line to be completed.

Andrew Jones: The replacement of Pacer trains across the Northern network will be completed by December 2019, although the timing of when this will occur on individual lines will be a matter for Northern Rail.

Tees Valley Railway Line

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve journey times on the Tees Valley Line.

Andrew Jones: As part of the new franchise award, the Northern franchisee will be required before October 2017 to undertake a feasibility study, identifying options for journey time improvements across the whole network, including services in the North East. This will include possible changes to existing infrastructure, improvements to rolling stock capability and reliability and the implementing of changes to service patterns. Any resulting changes would be in addition to the local benefits secured as part of the franchise including the withdrawal of pacer trains and the refurbishment of all the existing carriages retained in the franchise long term.

Tees Valley Railway Line

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled passengers and passengers of reduced mobility on the Tees Valley Line for the duration of operation of Pacer trains.

Andrew Jones: The Northern franchise was recently awarded to Arriva Rail North, who took over operations in April 2016. Arriva Rail North sets out its policy for providing assistance to disabled passengers and passengers of reduced mobility in its Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP). Publishing commitments to on-board assistance in a DPPP is a passenger train operating licence requirement and is approved by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Arriva Rail North is also required to participate in the national Passenger Assist scheme for pre-booking assistance. ‘Pacer’ trains operated by Arriva Rail North on the Tees Valley Line will be replaced ahead of the 2020 accessibility compliance deadline. From that date, all trains operated by Arriva Rail North will have to be compliant with the accessibility standards mandated by the Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM-TSI). While Pacers do not meet the standards set out in the PRM-TSI, they do offer wheelchair spaces, audio announcements and manual boarding ramps to assist disabled passengers and persons of reduced mobility when travelling.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Report of the HS2 Residents' Commissioner, published in May 2016, what steps his Department and HS2 Ltd have taken to introduce a newsletter for affected residents.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In Euston, HS2 Ltd have committed to producing a quarterly newsletter, the first newsletter was circulated in May 2016 to over 21,000 homes in the Camden area. The newsletter includes information about HS2, project updates, highlights key milestones and publicises upcoming engagement activities. More widely HS2 Ltd plan to publish community newsletters across the Phase One route. The first series of these newsletters is scheduled for autumn 2016. Phase Two is at a much earlier stage of development and HS2 Ltd are working closely with existing community engagement forums to ensure people are kept update with the latest information. HS2 Ltd anticipate publishing a community newsletter following a route announcement.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Chesham and Amersham

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and where the next community engagement event for High Speed 2 Phase One in Chesham and Amersham constituency will take place.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd’s most recent engagement with the Amersham and Chesham community took place at the Amersham Town Carnival on Saturday 9th July, and was part of the project’s more localised approach to community engagement. The HS2 stall presented local information on the project, and was attended by around 180 residents from the Amersham / Chesham community. HS2 Ltd plans to attend similar existing community events across the Phase One route during the summer months, and is also drawing up a schedule of HS2 Ltd run community events, expected to be delivered in the autumn. Amersham and Chesham will be included as part of this exercise. Further details will be made available once the next event is confirmed.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Chesham and Amersham

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the timetable for construction of High Speed 2 Phase One in Chesham and Amersham constituency to be published.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Finalising the construction timetable for works in this area will be the responsibility of the Main Works Contractor when they are appointed following Royal Assent. An indicative construction programme for Chesham and Amersham is set out in Volume 2 of the Environmental Statement (ES) - CFA reports 8-9. This indicates advanced works commencing in the first quarter of 2017, with civil engineering works commencing in the fourth quarter of 2017.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Chesham and Amersham

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Need to Sell cases in Chesham and Amersham constituency are yet to be finalised.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are two Need to Sell applications from the Chesham and Amersham constituency which are currently under consideration.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Building Alterations

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the technical guidance on householder permitted development rights to minimise the visual impact of loft extensions.

Brandon Lewis: Permitted development rights for householders are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The rights allow for loft extensions to the rear or side of dwellinghouses. To minimise the impact on the amenity of an area there are conditions limiting their size and appearance. These are explained in the Technical Guidance which was reviewed and updated in April 2016. Where the development exceeds the thresholds, or is to the front of a dwellinghouse, an application for planning permission is required.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure garden cities offer affordable homes and a place to live for all age groups.

Brandon Lewis: It is our ambition that garden communities will provide a range of homes that meet the needs of all age groups and all types of tenures. We intend that they will provide a range of affordable homes, including Starter Homes aimed at first-time buyers aged between 23 and 40.

Local Housing Allowance: Supported Housing

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance cap on the level of supply of supported housing.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable, including through protecting and further boosting the supported housing supply we have already.We are continuing to work with the supported housing sector and other partners to develop a sustainable and workable future for supported housing and will announce next steps in due course.In the meantime we have put in place a one year exemption for supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance cap.

Local Government Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities to date have submitted efficiency plans in order to qualify for a multi-year financial settlement.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since the announcement of the multi-year settlement offer in December 2015 we have recorded interest from over 125 councils.Councils have until 14 October 2016 to apply to accept the offer of a multi-year settlement and submit their efficiency plan.

Housing: Construction

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the local housing allowance cap on the capacity of housing providers to build new homes.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable, including through protecting and further boosting the supported housing supply we have already.We are continuing to work with the supported housing sector and other partners to develop a sustainable and workable future for supported housing and will announce next steps in due course.In the meantime we have put in place a one year exemption for supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance cap.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Diplomatic Service

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost was of operating the British Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate-General in Istanbul in each of the last five years.

Mr David Lidington: During the financial year 2015/16 the administrative cost of operating HMG’s network in Turkey was £8,598,421. For the financial year 2014/15 it was £11,085,874. For 2013/14 it was £9,402,577. For 2012/13 it was £8,462,061 and for 2011/12 it was £7,585,285.56. This includes the costs of all our missions in Turkey: the British Embassy in Ankara, the British Consulate General in Istanbul, the British Consulate in Izmir, the British Vice Consulate in Antalya, and the British Honorary Consulates in Bodrum, Fetiye and Marmaris. It does not include the cost of UK-based staff working in Turkey, which could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Turkey: Diplomatic Service

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people are part of the team working on projects to improve Turkey's prospects of joining the EU based at the British Embassy in Ankara; and what the total cost of that team was in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington: Four members of staff at the British Embassy in Ankara work either for all or part of their time on projects to promote reform and democratisation, as a full part of our work to promote UK interests in Turkey. The total annual cost of these staff for that project work was approximately £76,000 for Financial Year 2015/2016. This does not include the cost of the one UK-based member of staff which could only be provided at disproportionate cost.The UK remains committed to supporting security and prosperity across Europe, where we will continue to have close relationships and mutual interests.In countries aspiring to join the EU, our bilateral focus will remain on strengthening stability, security, good governance and the economic fundamentals; and on building the resilience and capability to tackle global threats and challenges such as irregular migration and terrorism.

Turkey: Diplomatic Service

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings the team working on projects to improve Turkey's prospects of joining the EU, based at the British Embassy in Ankara, have had with representatives of the Turkish government in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington: Staff in the projects team at the British Embassy in Ankara regularly meet their Turkish Government counterparts on a range of business, including promoting reform and democratisation towards European standards. The UK remains committed to supporting security and prosperity across Europe, where we will continue to have close relationships and mutual interests. In countries aspiring to join the EU, our bilateral focus will remain on strengthening stability, security, good governance and the economic fundamentals; and on building the resilience and capability to tackle global threats and challenges such as irregular migration and terrorism.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on the ability of the UK to work with other European countries to resolve international crises.

Mr David Lidington: We are a member of the UN Security Council, of NATO, the Commonwealth, of the G7 and the G20 and other important multilateral organisations. Britain is committed to peace and security, and a leading supporter of the international rules-based system. Our commitment to our extensive security cooperation with our international partners remains steadfast.

Cayman Islands

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met the leader of the Cayman Islands; what the aim of that meeting was; what was discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs briefly met Premier Alden McLaughlin at the Joint Ministerial Council in 2014. On 28 June, I spoke with the Premier to reassure him of the UK support for the Overseas Territories and to discuss the results of the EU Referendum. As the Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (David Cameron MP) has said the Overseas Territories will be fully involved, in accordance with their various constitutional relationships with the UK. We are committed to ensuring that all of their interests are taken properly into account.

British Virgin Islands

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met the leader of the British Virgin Islands; what the aim of that meeting was; what was discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: My Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP), the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, briefly met Premier Orlando Smith at the Joint Ministerial Council in 2014. On 29 June, I spoke with the Premier to reassure him of the UK support for the Overseas Territories and to discuss the results of the EU Referendum. As the Prime Minister, the Member for Witney (David Cameron MP) has said, the Overseas Territories will be fully involved, in accordance with their various constitutional relationships with the UK. We are committed to ensuring that all of their interests are taken properly into account.

New Zealand: Trade Agreements

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his New Zealand counterpart on the short-term use of New Zealand trade negotiators by the Government.

Mr Hugo Swire: I discussed various matters relating to trade and New Zealand post-EU Referendum with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, on Monday 11 July. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovations and Skills, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr Javid), most recently had meetings with both Prime Minister Key on 11 July and New Zealand’s Minister for Trade, Todd McClay, on 6 July.

Oslo Forum

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the outcomes of the 2016 Oslo Forum.

Mr David Lidington: The Government was represented at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Oslo by our Ambassador to Norway and by the London-based policy officer responsible for death penalty abolition. Officials worked closely with European partners before, during and after the Congress. The Government views the Congress as a useful forum for agreeing practical steps to reduce the use of the death penalty. We also played a constructive role in joint efforts to build support for a resolution calling for global moratorium to be put to the UN General Assembly in a December.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge and I have been holding, and will continue to hold, discussions with our international counterparts on the outcome of the EU referendum. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney attended the European Council meeting on 28 June to explain the decision the British people have taken.

China

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will commission an international and independent review of organ harvesting in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: We currently have no plans to commission a review of organ harvesting in China.

Commonwealth

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken since 23 June 2016 to promote trade and diplomatic connections between the UK and other Commonwealth countries.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are committed to strengthening our trade and diplomatic relationships with Commonwealth members, with whom we already enjoy important trading partnerships. In March we announced that we would co-host with Malta the inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers meeting early next year, which will be organised by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC). The UK will also host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in early 2018, which will be a further opportunity to promote greater trade and investment within the Commonwealth.

Vietnam: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Vietnamese government on human rights abuses and persecution of Christians.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government is committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world, and to being a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right. We raise these and other human rights issues with the Vietnamese government regularly and at all levels. We also work with non-government organisations and likeminded embassies on human rights issues in Vietnam. I raised concerns about the general human rights situation in Vietnam with the Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister during the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue in London in March 2016. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed human rights with the Vietnamese Prime Minister during his visit to Vietnam in April 2016. We will continue to raise these issues with the Vietnamese authorities, including a concerning report from Amnesty International which has just issued on the treatment of prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.

Travel: Insurance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage UK travellers abroad to take out adequate holiday insurance.

James Duddridge: Encouraging travellers to obtain comprehensive travel insurance is a key part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Travel Aware’ communications campaign, which has been active since 2001 (formerly known as Know Before You Go). Messaging on insurance is prominent in many of our travel safety materials and we run specific campaigns on insurance, reaching the travelling public through media engagement, digital activity and collaboration with industry partners such as ABTA and the Association of British Insurers.We have worked with the Association of British Insurers to create a new ‘checklist’ to help travellers choose the right insurance policy for their needs, which we communicate through social media and our network of industry partners. Our messages on insurance have also been reinforced by broadcasts on a wide range of national, regional and community TV and radio stations.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of which policy areas within her Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The outgoing Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we now need to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Higher Education: Standards

Sir Alan Haselhurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has for the implementation of the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Joseph Johnson: As set out in our White Paper, “Success as a Knowledge Economy: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice” we plan to implement the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in stages.In Year One all providers with satisfactory quality assessments will automatically achieve a rating of ‘Meets Expectations’.Year Two will be a trial year for the full assessment process at provider level. Year Three in will be the first full year of assessments at provider level, and we will also carry out a number of pilots at disciplinary level.Year Four will be the first year of disciplinary level assessments and the first year in which post-graduate taught provision may be included.Further detail on the timeline for Year Two is set out in the TEF Technical Consultation.

Higher Education

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to publish information on high quality higher education providers obtaining foundation or taught degree awarding powers on a probationary three year time-limited basis.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



The Higher Education and Research Bill provides for a power to authorise Degree Awarding Powers on a time-limited basis. We intend this to be the vehicle to implement the concept of probationary Degree Awarding Powers, which was set out in our White Paper ‘Success As A Knowledge Economy’. Subject to the passage of the Bill, we plan to consult on the detail of the proposed changes to the Degree Awarding Powers, leading to new criteria and guidance. This would include the requirements and processes that will apply to providers seeking probationary taught or foundation Degree Awarding Powers. As now, we intend that details of all providers who have obtained Degree Awarding Powers will be publicly available. We envisage that this would indicate which providers have obtained those powers on a probationary basis.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 39341, on his Department's reorganisation, how much he estimates the reorganisation of his Department's 1 Victoria Street building will cost.

Joseph Johnson: The Department’s 1 Victoria Street building is actively managed to allow for routine changes to its occupancy as the needs of the Department alter over time. Those needs include any organisational change, including changes to pan-Government arrangements, and any opportunities to accommodate other public bodies which lead to estate savings elsewhere. The costs of reorganisation, which will vary by year depending on requirements, are met from the Department’s estates budget through active financial planning. The budget also allows for planned and responsive buildings maintenance where this liability falls to the tenant.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Vacancies

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2016 to Question 39715, on his Department's vacancies, what plans he has for his Department's graduate recruitment to take place outside London.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is developing a Resourcing Strategy that will include targeted recruitment over the next few years that includes graduate recruitment. We have recently recruited 3 graduates on 1 year internships who will be based in Cardiff and Sheffield, working in Vocational Education, Higher Education and Infrastructure and Materials. We will be developing our graduate resourcing plans in line with business requirements, which will include consideration of roles both inside and outside of London. The Department also participates in a cross-Government graduate scheme. Within this scheme, graduates are centrally recruited from all over the UK and short-term placements are offered by departments, including BIS, across various departmental locations.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Reorganisation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39359, on Business, Innovation and Skills reorganisation, what problems Ministers have encountered engaging with officials of his Department not based in London.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the previous answer he references, in particular:“Operating across split sites, in the context of a smaller workforce overall, would make it harder to quickly redeploy people to a different team or policy area, or for someone to be able to respond to an unpredictable or unusual demand for more intensive engagement with Ministers or Parliament.”

Wales Office

Wales Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Alun Cairns: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans he has to ensure that the Government commits to providing  the same level of funding to Wales after the UK leaves the EU that is received from the EU.

Alun Cairns: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 July 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agendaThe current EU funding rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU, following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations. It will be for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet to discuss development funding in the future.

Alun Cairns: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agendaThe current EU funding rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU, following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations. It will be for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet to discuss development funding in the future.

Foreign Investment in UK: Wales

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of inward investment in Wales.

Alun Cairns: Wales’s inward investment performance show we can thrive on the world stage. Last year’s UKTI figures showed a record level of inward investment, with over 100 FDI projects supporting over 5,000 jobs. More recent indicators suggest Wales is on course for another great year.

Local Growth Deals: North Wales

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent progress the Government has made on a North Wales growth deal.

Guto Bebb: I visited Coleg Cambria last week to attend the North Wales Growth Deal Summit with the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary Ken Skates, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, Mersey Dee Alliance, the Rail Task Force, CBI and the FSB. It is vital that partners come together to bring forward a deal that works across the border and drives economic growth.

Overseas Trade: Wales

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will take steps to strengthen Wales' international business links.

Alun Cairns: I am proud to champion Wales on the international stage. I will be meeting the Minister for Trade and Investment tomorrow to discuss strengthening Wales’ international business links, and have committed to a roundtable discussion with businesses and UKTI in the autumn – the first of many such meetings.

Motorways: Newport

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the economy in Wales of upgrading the M4 relief road.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the economy in Wales of upgrading the M4 relief road.

Alun Cairns: This Government has underwritten Welsh Government borrowing powers of up to £500 million to help deliver vital improvements to Welsh infrastructure, particularly the M4. Upgrading the route has been identified by businesses and commuters as a priority for decades. It is time for work to begin.

Department for Education

Teachers: Resignations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2016 to Question 40307, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the total number of teachers who left state funded schools in England because they moved out of the profession in each of the last six years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Statistics showing the number of teachers that leave state funded schools in England in each year are publicly available from Table 7b of the additional tables at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015 Table 7b of the additional tables shows that between 2014 and 2015, 43,070 qualified teachers left the profession (full-time equivalents, FTE). This is equivalent to 10.0% of teachers. The total number of FTE teachers leaving in any one year includes those who are retiring, those moving to other education sectors e.g. Independent schools or FE and those leaving the profession, some of whom later return. During the same period (2014 to 2015), 45,810 FTE teachers entered service in a state funded school. This is equivalent to 10.5% of teachers. The rate of entry of teachers has been higher than the rate of those leaving throughout the period of 2011 to 2015. In 2015, 14,060 FTE teachers returned to the profession. These statistics are sourced from the annual School Workforce Census.

*No heading*

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of student participants in the Computing at School programme in each year since that programme was created; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the financial contribution by her Department to the Computing at School programme in each year since that programme was created; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is in the following table:YearAmount of funding provided2012-13£150,0002013-14£933,1002014-15£2,397,0922015-16£1,157,563 This funding is for the following programmes: the Network of Excellence to build a national network of over 300 Master teachers to provide training for computing teachers; Barefoot Computing, an online resource to help primary teachers develop their computing subject knowledge; and Quickstart, to provide training and resources for primary and secondary school teaches on basic computing. By the end of March 2016 the Network of Excellence had provided 56,000 instances of professional development to teachers. Just under 23,000 teachers are currently registered with Barefoot Computing, and 38,000 copies of the Quickstart packs have been distributed to teachers through Computing at School.

Special Guardianship Orders

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received on a further review of arrangements around special guardian orders.

Edward Timpson: The government conducted a review of arrangements around special guardianship and special guardianship orders (SGOs) in 2015 and published its response on 17 December 2015, which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/special-guardianship-reviewAlthough the review found that there were no fundamental issues with the awarding of SGOs, it did suggest that those seeking to become special guardians may not always be assessed or supported in a way that puts children’s long term welfare first.As a result, we have strengthened regulations to ensure that special guardian assessments are more robust and based on the principle that the guardian should be capable of caring for the child to the age of 18. Revised regulations came into force on 29 February and updated Statutory Guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/503547/special_guardianship_guidance.pdfIn addition, from 1 April this year, we have extended access to the Adoption Support Fund to special guardians supporting children previously in the care system. This will pay for therapeutic services such as cognitive therapy and intensive family support - helping children recover from their previous experiences and bond with their new families.We have received no recent representations asking for a further review or arrangements around SGOs since we conducted our review last year.

Department for Education: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of which policy areas within her Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Nick Gibb: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Schools: Playing Fields

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for her consent for disposal of school playing fields by maintained schools or academies her Department has (a) received and (b) approved in each of the last five years; and in how many such cases she has written to the school concerned to remind them of their obligations to submit an application in the correct way.

Edward Timpson: The data is not held in the format requested but there are layers of protection of playing field land. These include legislative safeguards in the School Standards and Framework Act 1997 and the Education Act 1998 and, in the case of academies, further safeguards in academy funding agreements. The Secretary of State must give consent prior to the disposal of public land which is currently used for any school or which has been used for a school in the last eight years. We publish a list of departmental decisions on applications for consent to dispose of school playing field land since May 2010 on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-land-decisions-about-disposals. The Secretary of State does not routinely write to schools to remind them of their obligations; it is the land owner’s obligation to ensure that it meets its legal responsibilities.

Children in Care: Education

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential educational and literacy merits of establishing a scheme to send regular age appropriate books to looked-after children under the age of five in England.

Edward Timpson: Having access to age appropriate books is an important part of the development of all children, including those who are looked-after. It is an integral part of every local authority’s responsibilities to promote the educational achievement of the children it looks after, including through encouraging their curiosity for reading. This includes ensuring that foster carers see the value of and encourage children of all ages to enjoy reading. In 2015, 120 local authorities took part in BookTrust’s Letterbox Club scheme (http://www.letterboxclub.org.uk/local-authorities/). As part of this scheme, looked-after children aged 5 to 13 in participating local authorities receive a colourful parcel of books, maths activities, stationery and other complementary materials once every month for six months. To support their learning, looked-after children aged 3 and 4 attract Early Years Pupil Premium funding, which is managed by the Virtual School Head in the authority that looks after them.

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2016 to Question 40823, at how many academies did each regional school commissioner take formal intervention measures in 2015.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



In the calendar year 2015, regional school commissioners took formal action in 115 academies; 72 academies were moved to a different sponsor and 43 academies were issued with a formal notice.The table below shows the number of interventions in each RSC region:East Midlands & Humber23Lancashire & West Yorkshire9North3North East London & East22North West London & South Central12South London & South East12South West23West Midlands11Total115

Free Schools: Asbestos

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the financial costs relating to asbestos surveying and removal in buildings being converted to free schools have been since the free school programme began.

Edward Timpson: The Education Funding Agency does not have access to the‎ breakdown of cost information in relation to asbestos surveys and asbestos removal works.

Schools: Sexual Harassment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of instances of sexual harassment that have taken place in schools in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not available.

Schools: Sexual Harassment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to prevent sexual harassment in schools.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support sexual assault awareness education and training in schools.

Edward Timpson: Keeping children safe is a top priority for the government. All school and college staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn, and they should be aware of the various forms of abuse so they are able to identify cases of children in need of help and support. We have recently updated the statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. Schools and colleges must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The revised guidance requires schools to ensure their child protection policy covers peer on peer abuse, how the school minimises the risks of it occurring and what to do to deal with any incidents. The guidance also makes it clear that all forms of harassment must be dealt with and must not be dismissed as a joke or a normal part of growing up. The revised guidance will come into force on 5 September 2016, for the start of the new school year (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2). We are also clear that bullying, for whatever reason, is absolutely unacceptable. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. Ofsted holds schools to account for how well they safeguard children and prevent bullying. As well as looking at schools records of bullying inspectors take into account: o the views of pupils about the prevention of bullying, including online bullying and how the school deals with discrimination.o the views expressed formally and informally by different groups of pupils, of their experiences of others’ behaviour and attitudes towards them and their understanding of the importance of such attributes in school and adult life. Sex and relationships education (SRE) is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and academies are expected to provide SRE as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. Any school teaching SRE must have regard to Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000). The guidance makes clear that all sex and relationship education should be age-appropriate and that schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. To support teaching about healthy relationships, the PSHE Association has developed non-statutory guidance for schools about the topic of consent, which was published in March 2015 and can be found at www.pshe-association.org.uk. We strongly welcome this guidance. The PSHE Association’s guidance will help teachers clearly establish the legal framework around consent and supports the government’s ‘This is Abuse’ campaign, which helps educate young people about damaging behaviours within relationships. ‘This is abuse’ was followed up this year by the £3.85 million “Disrespect NoBody” campaign, supported by Government Equalities Office and Home Office. The campaign aims to prevent the onset of domestic violence in adults by challenging attitudes and behaviours amongst teenage boys and girls that abuse in relationships is acceptable.

Free Schools: Asbestos

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment for the presence of asbestos is made prior to the purchasing and occupation of a previous industrial building for conversion into a free school.

Edward Timpson: We instruct building surveys prior to the acquisition of all buildings that we are intending to convert into free schools. Where necessary, we commission further surveys, including asbestos surveys, where risks highlighted in the building survey warrant further investigation. Ahead of any acquisition we‎ also ask sellers for their Building and Health and Safety files to determine the level of statutory compliance, which includes meeting the control of asbestos regulations. If we wish to proceed with the transaction and our initial assessment highlights any quality issues or gaps in compliance, our due diligence arrangements and budgets are tailored accordingly, in advance of completing the transaction. When construction works are planned in an industrial building with known asbestos, an asbestos refurbishment and demolition survey is undertaken to assess if the asbestos should be removed, encapsulated or left in-situ. This is according to material type, location, condition and the extent of works to be undertaken to the existing building. For any sites with known asbestos, a management strategy identifying the asbestos location is handed over to the occupier. They are then responsible for complying with statutory regulations for the management of asbestos.

Children: Day Care

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many bids her Department received from local authorities to the competition to offer 30 hours free childcare from September 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education received 69 Local Authority applications for the delivery of the three and four year old extended entitlement, a year earlier than planned. These applications were developed in partnership with childcare providers, as part of a formal Expressions of Interest process, which included a rigorous assessment process based on a selection criteria agreed by the Ministerial-level Childcare Implementation Task Force. The requested information can also be found at:https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-02-02/debates/16020246000010/ChildcareBillEarlyImplementation?highlight=30%20hours%20free%20childcare#contribution-16020246000032

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to multi-academy trusts to ensure governance and leadership structures are able to support effective expansion.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support regional school commissioners are expected to provide to organisations in their area wishing to become an academy sponsor.

Edward Timpson: Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) have an important role to play in encouraging and supporting high performing schools to extend their influence by growing Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and recruiting new sponsors to their region. The RSCs support schools and other organisations to become sponsors and grow effectively by offering practical one-to-one advice and facilitating supportive networks between MATs. They are also able to commission additional support for trusts where that is required, for example, from local Teaching School Alliances. As set out in our White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere, in the future MAT support will be system-led, and there will be a role for larger and more experienced trusts in supporting growing trusts as they develop. The Department is taking a number of steps to support MATs with leadership and governance, including:a MAT CEO development programme;redesigning a National Professional Qualification in leadership; andfunding the academy ambassadors programme that has resulted in over 240 experienced business leaders providing support to MATs by joining trust boards as non-executives. We are committing funding for 5 years to provide long term stability to help many more volunteers find a school or MAT that is looking for someone with their skills. The Government has allocated £300 million that will be available to support schools to convert and, in particular, support sponsors to turn around failing schools. A further £300 million will be available to support strong and effective multi-academy trusts to grow and improve.

Academies: Disadvantaged

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve the performance of multi-academy trusts in which disadvantaged pupils perform below the national average for attainment and improvement.

Edward Timpson: Academies working together in Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are able to share resources and expertise to support disadvantaged pupils. The department’s analysis shows, as does that of the Sutton Trust, that there are MATs that can perform significantly above average despite high percentages of their pupils being disadvantaged. We remain committed to achieving educational excellence everywhere and where there is underperformance, the academy system enables us to take swift action to tackle it. In addition, we are targeting £2.5 billion a year of pupil premium funding to support the most disadvantaged pupils.

Pupils: Holidays

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what purposes the income from fines levied on parents in England who take their children out of school in term time is allocated.

Nick Gibb: The sums received by local authorities from penalty notices issued to parents should be used for the purposes of issuing and enforcing such penalty notices, and prosecuting recipients who do not pay. This is set out in Regulation 23 of the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007, available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1867/contents/made

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role a maintained school issued with an Academy Order to convert to academy status has in selecting its multi-academy trust or sponsor.

Edward Timpson: Where a maintained school is eligible for intervention, there is no requirement to consult on the sponsor selection except in the case of a foundation or voluntary school with a foundation. In these circumstances the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) is required to consult the trustees and the people who appoint the foundation governors and, in the case of a school which has a religious character, the appropriate religious body about the identity of the sponsor. The proposed sponsor of the new academy is under a duty to communicate their plans to improve schools to parents. Further information about RSC powers of intervention over maintained schools and their decision-making are set out in the Schools Causing Concern guidance and the RSC decision-making framework, which can be found on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510080/schools-causing-concern-guidance.pdf; and https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517565/RSC-Decision-Making-Framework.pdf

Baverstock Academy

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) LEAP Academy Trust, (b) teaching trade unions, (c) staff and (d) students and parents on the future viability of Baverstock Academy; and what steps she is taking to ensure that that school remains open.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to investigate the effect of means testing for legal aid on the ability of domestic violence survivors to access justice.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is absolutely clear that victims of domestic violence must have access to the help that they need, including access to legal aid.We are working closely with various domestic abuse support groups and legal representative bodies to gather information about the existing evidence requirements for obtaining legal aid in private family law cases involving domestic violence.Whilst examination of means testing is not the purpose of this exercise, the review may uncover any issues relating to application of the means test to this particular group.

Road Traffic Offences

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to begin its review of driving sentences and penalties.

Dominic Raab: The government is aware of concerns about a number of sentencing issues and is committed to making sure sentencing for driving crimes is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation before the end of the year which will look at driving offences and penalties.

Ministry of Defence

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) women and (b) men employed as (i) merchant navy (A) officers and (B) ratings or (ii) merchant seafarers by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each of the last 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt: The number of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Personnel as of 1 April for each of the last 10 years by Officer/Ratings and Male/Female is as follows:  RFA OfficersYear2007200820092010201120122013201420152016Male880820770750730620600570630680Female40404040404040405050Total920850810790770660640610680740  RFA RatingsYear2007200820092010201120122013201420152016Male1,3601,3301,3901,4301,4701,2401,1801,1301,1401,140Female70708080908080807080Total1,4301,3901,4701,5101,5601,3201,2501,2101,2201,220  All figures are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy. Due to rounding the total is not always the sum of the rounded parts. These totals may also differ slightly from the total RFA personnel given in the answer of 14 June 2016 to question 39903 for years prior to 2013, as the gender and rank breakdowns are taken from a different source. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on those employed in the merchant navy. In compiling the answer to this question an error has been identified in the answer to question 39903 given on 14 June 2016. The number of RFA employees on 1 April for each of the years 2008 to 2016 should have been as follows: Total RFA PersonnelYear200820092010201120122013201420152016Total2,2702,3002,3302,3602,0001,9001,8201,8901,950 The original figures given were extracted from the RFA’s live Human Resources system. These can differ from the Official Statistics published in the Ministry of Defence Quarterly Civilian Personnel Statistics Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-2016

Army Reserve: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to invest in the Failsworth TA Centre.

Mark Lancaster: There are no plans to invest in the infrastructure of Failsworth Army Reserve Centre beyond routine maintenance and running costs.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) US counterparts on cooperation and assistance on counter-drone technology.

Mr Philip Dunne: I have regular discussions with both Ministerial Colleagues and US counterparts on a range of issues, including counter-drone technologies.

Department for Work and Pensions

Motability

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the value for money provided by Motability to (a) disabled people and (b) the public purse.

Justin Tomlinson: Motability is an independent charitable organisation, wholly responsible for the Motability Scheme. More detailed information about the operation of the Scheme can be requested from the Director of Motability, Motability, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5PX. The Department does not provide any funding to Motability so the Scheme does not come at a direct cost to the taxpayer.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of his Department's capacity to manage the appeals and review process for personal independence payments.

Justin Tomlinson: Departmental analysts forecast projected volumes of Personal Independence Payment Mandatory Reconsiderations and appeals; these projections are used to determine staffing requirements. The assessment of the Department’s capacity to handle volumes is determined from current deployment, planned recruitment and attrition rates. The information is updated, reported and reviewed on a monthly basis.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department carried out an assessment prior to the introduction of personal independence payments for existing disability living allowance recipients of the effect of that introduction on advice services such as Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Justin Tomlinson: No specific such assessment was carried out. Citizens Advice Bureaux have been, and continue to be, members of the Personal Independence Payment Implementation Stakeholder Forum and regularly engage with the Department on PIP issues.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving EU on financial support for the farming industry.

George Eustice: Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, fisheries, food and drink and our environment remain in place.The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

Ash Dieback Disease

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the threat of ash dieback disease to biodiversity across the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: A series of research projects, jointly funded by Defra, has looked into the ecological impacts of ash dieback and investigated possible woodland management options which might ameliorate the problems caused by ash dieback. The results from this work have been published[1]. The research found that there are tree species that share ecological traits or support some of the species associated with ash trees. However, there is no single tree species that would be able to fill the niche provided by ash in terms of both its ecosystem characteristics and biodiversity contribution. The Forestry Commission provides advice to woodland managers about how best to manage and adapt to ash dieback, for example, by planting a variety of tree species as diversity brings resilience to pests and diseases. [1] http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5273931279761408

Bovine Tuberculosis: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Northern Ireland counterpart on control of bovine TB in Northern Ireland.

George Eustice: Bovine TB policy is a devolved matter. The UK Chief Veterinary Office and other Defra officials have regular discussions with their counterparts in Northern Ireland on the eradication of bovine TB.

Avian Influenza

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of avian influenza there were in the UK in 2016.

George Eustice: There has been one confirmed case of notifiable avian influenza in poultry during 2016 to date; Low Pathogenic H5N1 at a poultry farm near Dunfermline, Scotland.

Agriculture: Subsidies

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to encourage more farmers to submit their Basic Payment Scheme payments applications online.

George Eustice: For the Basic Payment Scheme 2016 over 80% of farmers chose to apply online. For the Basic Payment Scheme 2017 the Rural Payments Agency will have a planned campaign of activity to encourage as many as possible of the remaining 20% of customers that applied on paper to apply online.

Air Pollution: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times air quality safety levels were breached in Greater Manchester in each year since 2011.

Rory Stewart: Defra uses both monitoring and modelling to assess air quality in the UK. The Department has five monitoring stations in the Greater Manchester Urban Agglomeration, at: Bury Whitefield Roadside, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Sharston, Salford Eccles and Shaw Crompton Way. Information about the sites and the pollutants measured is available on Defra’s UK-Air website. Nitrogen dioxide pollution from road transport is the predominant source of air pollution in the Greater Manchester area. There have been two measured exceedances of the annual mean air pollution objective for nitrogen dioxide in the Greater Manchester Urban Agglomeration since 2011. These were recorded in the Bury Whitefield Roadside and Manchester Piccadilly monitoring sites in 2011 and 2012. However, based on both modelling and monitoring carried out for compliance purposes, the zone was reported to have exceeded the annual mean limit value for nitrogen dioxide for all years between 2011 and 2014. Local authorities have a crucial role to play in improving air quality in their areas. They are required to review and assess air quality in their areas and to designate Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) and put in place Air Quality Action Plans (AQAPs) to address air pollution issues where national air quality objectives are not being met. The ten local authorities in the Greater Manchester area designated AQMAs between 2001 and 2007. In 2016 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) amalgamated all AQMAs across the region into a single AQMA. The GMCA has put in place an AQAP that sets out measures aimed at promoting sustainable transport initiatives, including proposals to introduce Ultra-Low Emission Zones.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of imposing fines on the Rural Payments Agency for late Basic Payment Scheme payments to farmers.

George Eustice: 2015 has been a challenging year for a number of well documented reasons. We understand the importance of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments for farmers and their particular frustration in the first year of this new scheme. From 1 December 2015, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) made full and accurate 2015 BPS payments which continued throughout the payment window. As of 3 July, some 85,852 (98.6%) of 2015 BPS claims have now been completed and 86,760 have received a payment amounting to some £1.3billion. The RPA remain focused on making full and accurate payments as promptly as possible. They are also committed to improving payment performance in 2016, and 2016 should be easier as we will have both the systems and data already in place. Ministers have regular meetings with the RPA and closely monitor its performance.

Hunting

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent the hunting to extinction of endangered species.

Rory Stewart: The UK has been working through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to tighten controls ensuring that trophies of endangered species are only exported if the animals were hunted sustainably. CITES import controls are currently implemented at an EU-wide level. In light of growing concerns about the sustainability of the hunting of some species, stricter controls on the import of hunting trophies of six species, including lions and African elephants, have been introduced. On the advice of EU CITES scientific experts, Member States also prohibit the importation of a number of species from certain countries where there is uncertainty about sustainability, such as elephant hunting trophies from Mozambique and Tanzania. We continue to monitor the impact of trophy hunting and will work to put in place greater protection, including prohibiting imports, if this is shown to be needed. For example, I announced on 24 November 2015 that the Government will ban lion trophy imports by the end of 2017 unless there are improvements in the way hunting takes place in certain countries, judged against strict criteria. The UK is also pushing for tougher hunting trophy controls to be agreed at the 17th Conference of Parties to CITES in the autumn. A UK-led EU proposal aims to agree global guidelines to ensure that hunting trophy exports are sustainable, and agree clear criteria on when lion trophy hunting can be considered acceptable.

Agriculture: Regulation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the amount of regulation on farming.

George Eustice: Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, fisheries, food and drink and our environment remain in place. The negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under the next Prime Minister.

Food: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department is doing to help reduce the price of food for people on low incomes.

George Eustice: It is not the Government's role to set retail food prices. The main drivers of food prices are commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices. Anything that affects these will have an impact on food prices. Defra does monitor retail food prices through The Consumer Prices Index. Year on year food prices have continued to fall with an annual rate of inflation of minus 2.8 per cent in the year to May 2016. Following a period of higher food price inflation retail food prices have fallen by 7.0% since their peak in February 2014. We also monitor trends in household expenditure on food through the Family Food Survey. This includes monitoring the percentage of household expenditure which is spent on food, including for households with the lowest 20% income, which was 15.4% for 2014 compared with an average of 16.1% over the last 10 years.

White Fish: Conservation

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made on the UK's bass management plan.

George Eustice: We continue to work closely with the recreational angling sector and others interested in the long term sustainability of bass stocks, to help inform the future policy of bass management measures.

Elephants: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the appropriateness of the application of the CITES Annex 1 listing to elephants; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of that listing on the domestic trade in ivory.

Rory Stewart: All proposals for the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are currently being assessed against the established scientific criteria for listings set out in the Convention. Where justified by the scientific evidence, the UK will advocate further protection to support the survival of endangered species. This includes in negotiations with the Member States of the EU to ensure that our positions on proposals are taken into account before the final negotiating position for the EU and its Member States is agreed. If the elephant uplisting proposal is successful at CoP17, it will prohibit international, commercial trade in ivory apart from in exceptional circumstances. The commercial use of ivory would generally be prohibited domestically, subject to certain exemptions, such as for worked, older pre-Convention items.

Livestock: Transport

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to discuss a UK ban on live exports as part of the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and her Cabinet.

Neonicotinoids

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy to continue to adhere to the European Commission ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, fisheries, food and drink and our environment remain in place.  The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

Home Office

UK Border Force

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current (a) manpower establishment and (b) deployment is of the UK Border Force.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 08 June 2016



As of April 2016 there were 7,651.34 full time equivalent staff working for Border Force.Deployments are made across a wide range of activities based on levels of demand and intelligence. Border Force do not release numbers deployed to specific ports on the grounds of national security.

National Security

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on national security.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on the Government's ability to tackle terrorism.

James Brokenshire: Cooperation with our European partners has not ceased since the result of the referendum was announced. UK authorities continue to cooperate with their counterparts in other EU Member States bilaterally, including by using the Schengen Information System (SIS II), Europol, Eurojust, the European Arrest Warrant and other measures.These tools, developed under the EU’s legislative framework, enable practical cooperation and information sharing, which is of value. However, much of our cooperation on counter-terrorism and national security matters sits outside of EU structures, including the Five Eyes, the closest international intelligence-sharing arrangement in the world, and the Counter Terrorism Group (CTG), a cooperation forum between the security services of EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland, which sits outside EU law.

Immigration Controls

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of introducing an Australian-style points immigration system.

James Brokenshire: For the time being, the United Kingdom remains part of the EU and there will be no immediate changes to our immigration system.

Edinburgh Airport: Immigration Controls

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to increase the number of Border Force officials at Edinburgh Airport.

James Brokenshire: Border Force continues to operate in a challenging financial climate and is in the midst of a far-reaching transformation programme.In response to the significant growth forecasts at Edinburgh Airport, Border Force is reinvesting some of the efficiency savings it has made at Edinburgh Airport to increase its workforce through recruitment of some permanent staff and the expansion of its seasonal workforce pool to provide a surge capacity for peak periods over the summer months.Income generated by Border Force through the provision of premium services, such as the Fast Track clearance of arriving passengers through the immigration control, will also be reinvested in the Border Force workforce.

Marriage of Convenience

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions have been made for bigamy or polygamy without consent in each of the last eight years; and how many such prosecutions led to a subsequent revoking of immigration status and deportation.

James Brokenshire: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offences relating to bigamy, in England & Wales, from 2008 to 2015 (the latest available) can be viewed in the attached table provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offences relating to bigamy, England & Wales, 2008-2015(1)(2)(3)OffenceOutcome2008(4)2009201020112012201320142015  2600BigamyProceeded against1917311215171816  (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3) The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year.(4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQC 41644MoJ are unable to differentiate between proceedings against British citizens and foreign nationals. Without knowing details of foreign nationals prosecuted, Home Office are not able to state where immigration status has been revoked or curtailed on the grounds of bigamy or polygamy (without consent) and subsequent deportation or removal.

Immigration

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for the permanent right to remain were received in the (a) six, (b) 12 and (c) 24 months prior to the EU referendum.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 11 July 2016



Applications for permanent right to remain from EEA nationals and their dependantsApplications for permanent right to remain from EEA nationals and their dependantsVolume a) Within six months to 31 March 2016 30,301 b) Within twelve months to 31 March 2016 45,310 c) Within twenty four months to 31 March 2016 75,961   This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Vetting

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long since the date of initial application the longest outstanding disclosure and barring check has been outstanding.

Karen Bradley: The longest outstanding application for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Certificate is 25 months.It would not be appropriate to comment further on this specific case, but there are a number of factors which can affect the timely completion of checks. These include the length of time it can take for an employer to deal with the initial application, the accurate completion of the application form, the clarity of the information provided, the existence of conviction or non-conviction information, legal challenges and the operational effectiveness of the disclosure units of the police forces involved in the enhanced process.In some cases, forces will ask DBS to clarify some details provided by the applicant which requires further investigation and this can cause further delays.

Asylum: Families

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration on the handling of family reunion applications.

James Brokenshire: The final report on the handling of family reunion applications has not yet been sent to the Home Office by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration.Arrangements for publication will be considered once the final report has been received

Common Travel Area

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2016 to Question 41433, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Common Travel Area with a hard border between the UK and the EU after the UK has left the EU.

James Brokenshire: The Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement pre-dates the EU and we re-main committed to it. The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach have reiterated their intention for both countries to work together to maintain the CTA.At present the UK remains in the EU and there will be no immediate changes. A meeting between UK and Ireland senior officials has already taken place underlining our desire to work together, when the UK begins to negotiate its exit from the EU, to maintain the benefits of the CTA.

Refugees: Calais

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make representations to the relevant French authorities to ensure that humanitarian convoys destined for Calais refugee camps are not impeded.

James Brokenshire: The decision to allow entry to France is a matter for the French authorities.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre: Females

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department's policy that women detained at Yarl's Wood are handcuffed when attending hospital.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents there have been of women detained at Yarl's Wood being handcuffed while attending hospital.

James Brokenshire: Home Office policy remains that there should be a presumption against using handcuffs to escort detainees for medical visits. The decision to use handcuffs is made on the basis of an individual risk assessment, and we monitor the use of restraint by custody officers closely to ensure that the use of restraint is reasonable, necessary and proportionate.Management information shows that from May 2015 to May 2016 there have been 31 incidents when a woman has been handcuffed when attending hospital from Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre.Month Incidents of handcuff useMay 20150June 20150July 20150August 20150September 20151October 20156November 20156December 20154January 20165February 20165March 20161April 20163May 20160This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics:

Racial Harassment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance the Government has issued to local police forces in response to the recent increase in reported racist incidents.

Karen Bradley: We have been working with the police at national level to monitor the increase in reported hate crime over the past few weeks and to ensure that local forces have the necessary guidance and assistance to respond. Operational guidance on hate crime was issued by the College of Policing to all forces in 2014.Police forces are responding robustly to recent incidents, and victims can be reassured that their concerns about hate crime will be taken seriously by the police and courts. Any decisions regarding resourcing of front-line policing are a matter for chief constables in conjunction with their police and crime commissioner.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to ratify the Istanbul Convention.

Karen Bradley: The previous Government signed the Istanbul Convention to show the strong commitment it placed on tackling violence against women and girls and this Government remains committed to ratifying it.The UK already complies with the vast majority of the Convention’s articles but further amendments to domestic law, to take extra-territorial jurisdiction over a range of offences (as required by Article 44), are necessary before the Convention can be ratified.We are currently considering the approach to implementing the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements in England and Wales and will seek to legislate when the approach is agreed and Parliamentary time allows.

Asylum: Glasgow

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to investigate reports that asylum seekers have been mistreated and housed in substandard accommodation in Glasgow.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office contract compliance teams regularly check supplier performance, including investigating complaints and incident reporting.We have worked closely with our COMPASS Providers, including Serco, to improve property standards and over the lifetime of the contract, quality standards have increased.Where a contractor is found to be falling short of these standards, we work with them to ensure issues are quickly addressed. When they are not we can and do impose sanctions.Where there are allegations of asylum seekers being mistreated or their accommodation being substandard, I would encourage anyone to notify the Home Office so we can investigate and resolve any issues.

Vetting

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's target waiting time is for a Disclosure and Barring Service local intelligence check to be completed by the police.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's target waiting time is for a Disclosure and Barring Service local intelligence check to be completed by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Karen Bradley: In 2015/16, the Disclosure and Barring Service processed 87% of all applications within 21 days, against a target of 85%.Some of the over four million applications received each year need to be referred to one or more police forces for further checks. There is a service level agreement between the Disclosure and Barring Service and police forces in relation to the time taken to complete these local disclosure checks.These standards are: -85% of police checks must be completed in 14 days;90% of police checks must be completed in 18 days;95% of police checks must be completed in 25 days; and - 100% of police checks must be completed in 60 days.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the foreign aid budget was given directly to the governments of recipient nations in each of the last three years.

Sir Desmond Swayne: Direct financial aid to governments of recipient nations constituted 14%, 12% and 9% of DFID’s total programme expenditure for years 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively. These are the three most recent years for which this data is currently available. General Budget Support reduced from 2.2% to 0.5% of DFID’s total programme expenditure over the same period.

Syria: Life Expectancy

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has received on trends in life expectancy in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Desmond Swayne: Syria is the world’s biggest and most urgent humanitarian crisis. 13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and four in five Syrians live in poverty. The UN estimates that since the crisis began life expectancy among Syrians has dropped by more than 20 years, from 79.5 years to 55.7 years. Significant contributory factors include death rates due to the conflict (including increased death rates among younger people); destruction of health care facilities and difficulties in delivering routine childhood vaccinations; and an increase in poverty.The UK is at the forefront of the response to the crisis. UK support is reaching hundreds of thousands of people affected by it in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are also mobilising the international community. We co-hosted the “Supporting Syria and the Region” conference in London on 4 February, which secured pledges of more than $12 billion, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. Of this, over $6 billion was pledged for support in 2016 and a further $6.1 billion for the coming years until 2020. This money will save lives, give hope and give people a chance for the future

Department for International Development: Reviews

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to publish its (a) Civil Society Review, (b) Multilateral Aid Review and (c) Bilateral Aid Review before the summer recess.

Sir Desmond Swayne: The Government intends to publish the outcome of the Civil Society Review, Multilateral Aid Review and Bilateral Aid Review in the early summer.

HM Treasury

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what legacy funding he plans to make available to communities in which nationally significant infrastructure projects are located.

Greg Hands: The National Infrastructure Delivery Plan, published in March, sets out the government’s infrastructure plan until 2021. It includes plans to empower local leaders to drive growth and shape their communities. Any updates, including relating to legacy planning, would be announced in the usual way at a fiscal event.

Economic Situation

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on (a) the UK economy, (b) market conditions, (c) projected GDP and (d) likely future trends in the value of the pound.

Mr David Gauke: While it is clear that we do now face a significant economic challenge as a result of the referendum decision, the UK economy is well placed to respond. We have seen volatility in financial markets following the referendum. However, markets have continued to function effectively throughout and we continue to be in close contact with the Bank of England and the FCA to monitor developments.

Corporation Tax

Rachel Reeves: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the Exchequer has been of reductions to corporation tax since 2010.

Mr David Gauke: Overall cuts delivered to corporation tax will be worth almost £15bn a year to business by the end of this Parliament. This has enabled businesses to increase investment, take on new staff, increase wages, or reduce prices. Official costings of any policy announcements can be found in Budget or Autumn Statement documents. The cost of the cut to 17% for instance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016#policy-decisions

VAT: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was generated from VAT receipts in Greater Manchester in the last year for which information is available.

Mr David Gauke: This level of detail is not requested on VAT returns and therefore we do not have data available on how much revenue is raised from VAT receipts in Greater Manchester.

Poverty

Judith Cummins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to reduce in-work poverty.

Damian Hinds: Work is the best route out of poverty, which is why this Government is focused on getting people into employment. Since 2010, 2.5 million more people are in work and average household incomes are at a record high. We are reforming the tax and benefit system to ensure work will always pay more than a life on benefits. That is why we are raising the tax-free personal allowance to £11,500 in April 2017, meaning 1.3m individuals will have been taken out of income tax altogether since 2015. This enables people to keep more of what they earn. We are also introducing Universal Credit which is designed to reduce poverty, ensure work pays and strengthen incentives to progress in work. We have introduced the National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, representing a pay rise of £900 this year for a full time workers on the minimum wage. The Government is also providing additional support for families by increasing childcare funding within UC from 70% to 85% of eligible costs, introducing Tax Free Childcare and extending free early years childcare for working parents from 15 to 30 hours.

National Insurance Contributions: Complaints

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes HM Revenue and Customs has for resolving complaints relating to class 2 national insurance contributions.

Mr David Gauke: Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receives and responds to 50 million phone calls and 15 million letters from Self Assessment and PAYE customers. HMRC commits to responding to complaints within 15 days of receipt and therefore expects that, excluding any that may be received in the last few weeks before abolition, outstanding complaints will have been cleared.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

District Heating

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to paragraph 2.96 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, Cm 9162, published in November 2015, how many local authority areas her Department plans to deliver funding for new efficient heat networks.

Andrea Leadsom: On 29 June, the Government published a consultation on a new major project to support investment in heat networks, the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-heat-networks-investment-project-hnip. The Heat Networks Investment Project is making up to £320m in capital support available to projects in England and Wales over the next five years, to increase the number of heat networks and to deliver cost-effective carbon savings. The number of local authorities that will receive funding is dependent on the quality of applications received. We would expect that many of the 118 local authorities already supported by DECC’s Heat Network Delivery Unit (HNDU) on early stage development will apply for capital support.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy to implement the Competition and Markets Authority's recommendations in making all future auctions for renewable support contracts technology neutral.

Andrea Leadsom: The CMA recommendations are another step towards ensuring we have a competitive and effective energy market for consumers. We will now take action, along with Ofgem and other delivery bodies, to implement these recommendations. The Competition and Markets Authority did not recommend making all future auctions for renewable support technology neutral.

Radioactive Waste

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the national Geological Disposal Facility to be ready.

Andrea Leadsom: The process to site a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is planned to launch in 2017 and will be driven by working in partnership with willing communities. The technical work to assess the geological suitability of a site and build a credible long-term safety case is the main determinant of the length of time that it will take. The Government has therefore not set a fixed delivery timetable but the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a current planning assumption that the GDF will be available to receive the first waste in the 2040s.

Radioactive Waste

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what volume of vitrified high-level waste is being stored while awaiting the availability of a disposal facility.

Andrea Leadsom: The latest UK Radioactive Waste Inventory (UKRWI), which was published in 2014 (https://ukinventory.nda.gov.uk/), states that the total volume of packaged vitrified high level waste (HLW) to be stored pending geological disposal will be approximately 1,400 m3. As of 1st April 2013 the current packaged volume in stock was 1,100 m3. It is noted that the UKRWI is in the process of being updated and will be available in early 2017. The Sellafield Site is the only place in the UK that stores vitrified HLW.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the cost has been to date of each decommissioning exercise undertaken by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Andrea Leadsom: Net funding for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has been maintained at around £3 billion a year. This will allow it to continue to deliver its vital mission of decommissioning and clean-up of the UK’s nuclear legacy, with particular focus on tackling the highest hazards at Sellafield. The NDA provides information on the cost for decommissioning each of its sites in its Business Plan and Report and Accounts. Both are published on an annual basis and are available at www.nda.gov.uk.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Pensions

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have pension records that are incomplete or incorrect.

Matthew Hancock: As highlighted in the NAO report published this year, it is estimated that 77% of current civil servant records have some level of data inconsistency or inaccuracy. However the majority of these do not have an impact on the calculation of pension benefits. 6.5% of member records data inaccuracies that mean pension benefits are misstated on the members annual benefit statement.

Divorce: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many divorces involving people aged over 50 years of age took place in each of the last five years.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Government holds on the incidence of relationship break-up among people aged over 50 years of age in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: Holding answer received on 12 July 2016



The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Divorces
(PDF Document, 123.1 KB)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: South Gloucestershire Council

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide details of what additional (a) support and (b) resources his Department is providing to assist South Gloucestershire Council in meeting its universal broadband obligations.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government has implemented a basic broadband scheme to enable all premises to gain access to speeds of at least 2Mbps. This enables residents to gain access to every Government service available online. Funding for subsidised connections through the scheme is provided by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) as part of the government's superfast broadband programme. Consumers in eligible premises can access services from any of the suppliers who have been entered onto the scheme by BDUK. In addition it is the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation. This will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament. Our ambition is that this should initially be set at 10 Mbps.

Arts: Finance

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to reduce disparities in spending on culture and the arts between London and cities in the North of England.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Arts and culture has a hugely positive impact on people's lives and we are committed to broadening access to the arts across the whole country. Arts Council England are increasing the percentage of Lottery funding distributed outside London from 70 per cent to 75 per cent including over £30 million from their Ambition for Excellence fund that will be spent outside of the capital. Our Culture White Paper - the first strategy for the sector in more than 50 years - sets out how we will increase access across the country and ensure arts and culture are open to all.

Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from the heritage and archaeological communities on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on those communities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Department of Health

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when clinical commissioning groups will be required to update their local transformation plans; and what plans he has for such plans to interact with sustainability and transformation plans.

George Freeman: Health economies have come together to develop Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) for their footprints until 2020/21. As with the current arrangements for planning and delivery, there are layers of plans which can sit below STPs, with shared links and dependencies. STPs do not replace the existing system architecture. Rather STPs act as an umbrella, holding underneath them a number of different specific plans to address key local issues. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have operational plans for 2016/17 in place. Operational plans for 2017/18 will reflect the contribution of the CCG to the overall STP. The timelines for the development of the 2017/18 operational plans are being finalised. The March guidance stressed the importance of responding to 10 key priority areas which included mental health. Footprints are at different starting points, and so the degree of detail that has been provided in the 30 June STP checkpoint varies. However, final STPs will be expected to set out how Mandate priorities will be delivered, including the oversight of locally led transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health, before being agreed.

Chlamydia

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decrease in the contraction rate of chlamydia.

Jane Ellison: The reduction in the chlamydia detection rate has been reviewed by the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) team of Public Health England (PHE) and it is apparent that the proportion of tests that are positive has remained stable. Therefore the chlamydia detection rate reduction is probably due to an overall reduction in testing. PHE recently conducted a survey of sexual health commissioning across England and the NCSP team is collecting further data from local authorities on the retendering of sexual health services. Once these data are analysed, the results will inform future PHE actions to support commissioners to deliver the best services for their populations. PHE intends to add to the routine data collected whether or not chlamydia testing has been “offered’. This will enable PHE to monitor changes in young peoples’ acceptance of the offer of a chlamydia test.

Health Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to publish and keep updated a public resource for identifying and assisting contact with (a) chairs of clinical commissioning groups, (b) chairs of health and wellbeing boards and (c) sustainability and transformation leads.

George Freeman: There are currently no plans to publish a central resource of contact details. Contact details for each clinical commissioning group are publicly available on their websites. The table below shows where this and other relevant information is publically available: Chairs of clinical commissioning groupshttps://www.england.nhs.uk/ccg-details/Chairs of health and wellbeing boardshttp://www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/health-and-wellbeing-boards/hwb-mapSustainability and transformation leadshttps://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/03/leaders-confirmed/

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Older People

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the factors causing increased rates of sexually transmitted infections among people aged 45 and over.

Jane Ellison: Several factors are likely to have contributed to the rise in sexually transmitted infections (STI) diagnoses among those aged 45 years and over in recent years. These factors will have contributed to the rise in STI diagnoses seen in all age groups. More STI testing in sexual health clinics and improved diagnostic tests will have led to more infections being detected. However, it is also likely that increased unsafe sexual behaviour i.e. sex with new or casual partners without using condoms, has led to more people becoming infected. Among older age groups the biggest rise in STI diagnoses has been seen among men who have sex with men.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to recommendation 9 of the final report of The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, published in May 2016, whether and within what timescale the Government plans to consider possible changes to its purchase and distribution systems for antibiotics.

Jane Ellison: The Government will work with the international community to develop and agree a system which encourages the pharmaceutical industry to develop new antibiotics in line with the recommendations made in the final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. The Department will meanwhile continue its ongoing dialogue with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on antibiotic pricing and reimbursement in the hope of reaching agreement by the end of the year on a set of potential options for a reimbursement model suitable for piloting in England.

Antibiotics: Drug Resistance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Jane Ellison: The Government has been at the forefront of action to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our comprehensive UK Five Year AMR Strategy published in 2013, is an ambitious programme to slow the development and spread of AMR. The Strategy aims to prevent infection, protect the antibiotics that we have and promote the development of new drugs and alternative treatments. We are already seeing results: for example, between April and December 2015, two million fewer prescriptions were dispensed by general practitioners in England compared to the same period in 2014, a reduction of around 7%. Internationally, the United Kingdom supported successful negotiations of the AMR resolution at World Health Organization in 2015, mandating all countries to produce their own national action plans to tackle AMR. In the same year similar resolutions were passed relating to food and agriculture and animal health at the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health. Lord O’Neill’s independent review on AMR, commissioned by the Prime Minister in July 2014, published its final report in May. The Government will take forward its recommendations, as set out in its manifesto. The Government is also aiming to raise the profile of AMR yet higher on the global stage through our work to support a successful high level meeting on AMR at the United Nations General Assembly in September this year.

Childbirth

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that all pregnant women are given the opportunity to choose to give birth at home.

Ben Gummer: We are committed to providing choice within safe maternity services. The NHS Choice Framework for 2016-17 sets out the choices of place of birth. When a woman gives birth they should have the choice to do so: - at home, with the support of a midwife; - in a midwife-led facility (for example, a local midwife-led unit in a hospital or birth centre), with the support of a midwife; - in hospital with the support of a maternity team. This type of care will be the safest option for some women and their babies. The Choice Framework states that choice in maternity is not a legal right. The exact nature of the available choice will depend on what is best for a woman and her baby, and the services available. NHS England has identified a number of clinical commissioning groups (CCG) to act as Maternity Choice and Personalisation pioneers to test ways of improving choice and personalisation for women accessing maternity services as recommended by Better Births, the report of the National Maternity Review. All of the Pioneers will seek to deepen as well as widen the choices available to women across CCG boundaries, by attracting new providers into their areas and by empowering women to take control in decisions about the care they receive to meet their needs and preferences, including the opportunity to give birth at home. NHS England and other national partners will support and work with the Pioneers to develop and test new approaches, and determine those suitable for promotion and adoption across England.

Tobacco: Packaging

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of plain packaging on rates of (a) smoking and (b) lung cancer.

Jane Ellison: The Department published a final Impact Assessment on 10 February 2015 which estimates that standardised packaging will result in around 390,000 additional adult quitters and 5,500 fewer child smokers.

Department of Health: UK Withdrawal from EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of which policy areas within his Department's remit will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum.

Jane Ellison: The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister. The Government will consider which policies will be affected by the outcome of the EU referendum. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Smoking

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people who smoke have access to (a) heat-not-burn tobacco and e-cigarettes and (b) other smoking cessation products.

Jane Ellison: The Government’s advice remains that the best thing a smoker can do is to quit and quit for good. Any smokers wanting to quit, with or without the help of products available on the market, are further advised to seek expert support and advice from their local stop smoking service. Smokers using the personalised support offered by stop smoking services are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good. We recognise that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help some smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. Public Health England has been working with Local Stop Smoking Services encouraging them to be open to the use of e-cigarettes, where clients choose to use them to support their quit attempts, alone or alongside other nicotine replacement therapies and the behavioural therapy that the services offer.The forthcoming tobacco control plan will consider the role of e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England.

Fibromyalgia

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to make hyperbaric oxygen tanks available on the NHS for fibromyalgia patients.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of clinical trials at Rice University on women diagnosed with fibromyalgia that the condition is improved by providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to support patients with fibromyalgia.

Jane Ellison: In April 2013, NHS England produced a clinical commissioning policy specification for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) which sets out that HBOT will only be commissioned for the following indications:― decompression illness;― gas embolism; and― acute carbon monoxide.Patients with other conditions who are seeking HBOT would need to make an Individual Funding Request (IFR). Both the HBOT specification and guidance on the IFR process can be found at the following links: www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2013/10/d11-p-a.pdf Whilst the results of the Rice University trial are interesting, larger, high quality clinical trials would be needed to demonstrate the efficacy of HBOT in treating fibromyalgia. Although there is no cure for fibromyalgia, some treatments can ease symptoms and support improved quality of life for patients. The treatments offered will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but may include:― pharmacological pain relief;― physiotherapy;― dietary and exercise advice;― counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy; and― self-management programmes which aim to give patients the skills and confidence to manage their conditions more effectively.There are also a number of NHS trusts that offer specialist fibromyalgia clinics, such as the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, which patients can access on referral from the clinician responsible for their care.

Nurses: Training

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of nursing bursaries on the living costs of nursing students who live outside their parental home.

Ben Gummer: A preliminary Economic Impact Assessment and Equality Analysis was published alongside the public consultation launched on 7 April 2016. These documents address the proportion of repayment expected, the impact on students with different characteristics, including those who live outside the parental home and the benefit that extra support will have for those on low incomes and from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to pages 17 and 20 of the NHS England Review of Uniting Care Contract, published in April 2016, when he expects NHS England's review into the role, function and effectiveness of advisors involved in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group contract procurement to be published.

George Freeman: This is a matter for NHS England. NHS England advises that the second part of its review of the UnitingCare Partnership limited liability partnership contract is looking at specific areas, including the role of external advisors, and will be used to inform and improve its internal processes. PricewaterhouseCoopers is currently completing the first draft of the review. NHS England expects to receive this imminently, and the report will then be finalised over the next few weeks. The arrangements for publicising the report are a matter for NHS England.

Prisoners: Methadone

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of prescribing methadone to prisoners in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected centrally.

Doctors: Training

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors trained in the UK in each of the last five years subsequently moved abroad to practice.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not hold this information.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what options his Department is considering for making access to an expanded range of cancer drugs available through the NHS after the end of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: The Government remains committed to the Cancer Drugs Fund which has so far helped over 84,000 patients in England access the cancer drugs they need. £340 million has been allocated to the Fund in 2016-17. NHS England has advised that it envisages, under the new arrangements that are being introduced for the Cancer Drugs Fund, that a greater number of cancer drugs will be funded from baseline commissioning. This will be as a consequence of more appropriate pricing arrangements proposed by pharmaceutical manufacturers and better evidence being available through the Fund as to longer term patient outcomes.

Prisons: Drugs

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the prison establishments that currently run drug treatment programmes for inmates with addictions; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of running such programmes.

Ben Gummer: All prisons in England are required to have drug treatment programmes for inmates with addictions. NHS England has allocated approximately £405 million for health expenditure in the adult prison estate in 2016/17, with spending on substance misuse services expected to amount to approximately 20% of this.

Cancer: Mortality Rates

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the links between cancer survival rates, diet and exercise.

George Freeman: The Department has not conducted or commissioned specific research on this topic. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is investing £4.5 million over five years in the NIHR Bristol Nutrition Biomedical Research Unit (BRU). This BRU aims to translate knowledge developed from work on causal associations in nutrition, drawn from population and clinical studies, to develop interventions that improve the health of people with conditions related to poor nutrition. One of the BRU’s research areas is prostate cancer. The overall aim of work in this area is to investigate the feasibility of undertaking randomised controlled trials of nutritional and physical activity interventions in men with prostate cancer and the impact of these interventions on cancer pathology to identify promising interventions to develop into phase III tertiary prevention trials.

Strokes: Rural Areas

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality of stroke care in rural areas.

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the quality of acute stroke care in rural areas and in metropolitan areas.

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the quality of post-acute and community stroke care in rural and in metropolitan areas.

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no assessment of the quality of acute, post and community stroke care in rural and metropolitan areas. However, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit programme reports the results of the quality of both hospital and community care quarterly at trust and clinical commissioning group level. These data are in the public domain and can be found at: www.strokeaudit.org NHS England’s Five Year Forward View sets out the healthcare strategy for the whole of England, including rural areas. Rural areas have their own health needs, which should be taken into account in planning and developing healthcare systems. It is for clinical commissioning groups to judge the needs of their local areas and make sure that they are reflecting the specific circumstances of those areas.

Health Professions: Training

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether legislative changes will be required to remove the NHS bursary for healthcare students by September 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The proposed reforms to healthcare education funding for introduction on 1 August 2017 will not require amendments to the legislation under which the National Health Service bursary is provided.

Perinatal Mortality: Air Pollution

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on potential links between rates of stillbirth and exposure to high levels of air pollution.

George Freeman: The Department has not conducted or commissioned specific research on this topic.

Travellers: Health

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken under the National Roma Integration Strategy to enhance the health integration of Gypsy Traveller Roma people.

Jane Ellison: We have taken steps to improve the health of Gypsies, Travellers and Roma people as part of our broader social inclusion policies. The inclusion health programme sought to identify and promote good practice across the National Health Service and elsewhere. It has included: developing practical guidance on the commissioning of more inclusive services to help ensure the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups are taken into account in shaping local plans and priorities; working with primary health care professionals and others to improve access to services for these groups; and supporting the education and training of health professionals to enable them to work more effectively with these groups. This work is being carried forward across the health system.

Dental Health: Children

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the long-term health costs associated with the increase in the number of dental extractions in children under the age of 10 in the last four years.

Alistair Burt: The tables below shows 1) the number of courses of treatment (CoT) for children age 10 and under in Primary Dental Care which included an extraction and 2) the number of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) for children aged 10 and under including an extraction due to tooth decay. During the same period, the population for children age 10 and under rose from 6.9 million to 7.3 million. The figures suggest the total rise in extractions and therefore increases in health costs are broadly in line with the increase in population of this age group over the same period.1)Financial year(CoT) Extractions per 100,000Primary Care (CoT)Populationchange2014/153211.0234,7047,309,300-8,2742013/143380.7242,9787,187,2009,1862012/133317.0233,7927,048,3007182011/123376.9233,0746,902,100 Source: NHS Business Services Authority, extract from FP17 form clinical data set information 2011/12 – 2014/15 2)Financial yearFCE Extractions per 100,000FCEsPopulationchange2014/15462.233,7817,309,30010402013/14455.532,7417,187,20014662012/13443.731,2757,048,3005142011/12445.730,7616,902,100 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Hospital Episode Statistics 2011/12 – 2014/15  However, the Government is serious about improving oral health for children. Initiatives to improve oral health include targeted interventions in ten high needs areas and reform of the dental contract to focus on prevention.

Strokes

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of local sustainability and transformation plans on geographical variations in stroke care.

George Freeman: Health economies have come together to develop Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) for their footprints until 2020/21. As with the current arrangements for planning and delivery, there are layers of plans which can sit below STPs, with shared links and dependencies. STPs do not replace the existing system architecture or provide details on all individual clinical areas. Rather STPs act as an umbrella, holding underneath them a number of different specific plans to address key local issues. As such, for conditions such as Stroke, it is not expected that STPs will provide great levels of detail regarding all the Stroke related activity occurring across the Footprint. Visibility will be provided through other mechanisms such as audits. Stroke data is collected by the national audit from all trusts and reported at both trust and clinical commissioning group (CCG) level. The Royal College of Physicians which runs the audit has not done an analysis to compare services between rural and urban CCGs. However the data is available in the public domain for researchers should they wish to do so.

Heart Diseases

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to renew or update the cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy.

Jane Ellison: NHS England continues to support implementation of the action points listed in the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy: it has no plans to renew or update it. It is working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on a range of preventative issues which support implementation of the strategy and promote wider improvement in outcomes. In addition to CVD work undertaken by Right Care and as part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, NHS England also hosts a collaborative group which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, the main relevant national charities, the National CVD Intelligence Network, PHE and the Department. This collaborative group continues to work together to reduce premature mortality in both primary and secondary care settings in relation to people with, or at risk of having, CVD.

Department of Health: Babies

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) baby changing at (i) Richmond House, London, and (ii) Quarry House, Leeds.

Jane Ellison: Richmond House and Quarry House both have a nursing mothers room and no facilities for the changing of babies. The Department also has a Parents’ Network which aims to support staff, both men and women, with their parental responsibilities.

Maternity Services: Closures

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS maternity units have been closed in each of the last six years.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS maternity units are under consideration by his Department for (a) downgrading and (b) closure.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultant-led NHS maternity units have been downgraded in each of the last six years.

Ben Gummer: This information is not held centrally. The Government is clear that the redesign of front-line health services, including maternity services, is a matter for the local National Health Service, where clinicians are best-placed to make the decisions in the best interests of their patients. All such decisions are locally led and any proposed changes to services are subject to meeting the four tests for service change: they must have support from general practitioner commissioners, be based on clinical evidence, demonstrate public and patient engagement, and consider patient choice.

Maternity Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to consultant-led maternity services in (a) Cumbria, (b) Devon and (c) Essex.

Ben Gummer: The Government is clear the configuration of services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population. As of June 2015, three local health economies, Mid and South Essex, Northern, Eastern and Western Devon and West, North and East Cumbria entered the Success Regime. The purpose of the regime is to improve and promote health and care services for patients in local health and care systems that are struggling with financial or quality problems, or sometimes both. The regime is tailored to local circumstances, and will develop and implement plans to ensure that the people of these regions are able to access high quality, sustainable services. The provision of maternity services will be considered as part of the work of the Success Regime. No decisions have yet been made and the input of local communities will remain important throughout the process. Any significant service change proposals will go through formal public consultation.

General Practitioners: Waiting Lists

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in reducing GP waiting times.

Alistair Burt: There is no national standard for waiting to see a general practitioner (GP) and data on waiting times is not collected centrally. To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access however, £175 million has been invested in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and 18 million patients – a third of the population – have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level. This includes more appointments being made available, especially at times more convenient for patients, such as weekday evenings and weekends. It also includes different approaches like telephone consultations and better use of the wider primary care workforce (such as Advanced Nurse Practitioners, pharmacists, the voluntary sector, physiotherapists and paramedics) to deliver improved access to patients. These approaches have helped release local GP capacity and more appropriately matched the needs of patients with the most appropriate professional to care for them. In addition to Access Fund sites, other clinical commissioning groups may offer local initiatives for improving access to GPs.

Nurses

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will investigate the reasons for the delay in agreeing the rate for NHS-funded nursing care for residents of care homes in 2016-17.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to announce the rate for the NHS-funded nursing care for residents of care homes in 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: Mazars LLP were appointed to carry out an independent review of the costs of nursing care by a registered nurse. Mazars’ report[1] recommends that the National Health Service-funded nursing care rate should be £156.25 – 40% higher than the 2015/16 rate. The Government has taken on board Mazars’ recommendation, meaning the rates paid by clinical commissioning groups for eligible care home residents assessed to require the help of a registered nurse are now as follows: ― standard rate - £156.25 per week; and― higher rate - £215.04 per week (this is only relevant for those people who were already on the higher rate in 2007 when the single band was introduced). These rates will be backdated to 1 April 2016 for individuals who were in receipt of NHS-funded Nursing Care from that time and paid on an interim basis whilst regional variation and the element of the rate for staff working on an agency basis are reviewed.   [1] http://www.mazars.co.uk/Home/Our-Sectors/Public-Services/Health/NHS-Funded-Nursing-Care-Review

Eyesight: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will encourage Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group to commission a minor eye conditions service in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Alistair Burt: General practitioners (GPs), working with secondary care consultants, nurses and lay members, are best placed to co-ordinate the commissioning of high quality care for their patients. They ensure that commissioning decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have the freedom and autonomy to take responsibility for meeting the needs of local patients and the public by working closely with secondary care, other health and care professionals and with community partners to design joined up services. As such, while CCGs are led by primary care professionals, they are also guided by the expertise of other local clinicians. The current commissioning arrangements encourage innovation by placing commissioning with those who know patients best and are aware of the latest clinical evidence and technological advances in health and care. NHS England advises that Northern, Eastern and Western Devon CCG have no imminent plans to commission a specific minor eye conditions service at this time. CCGs are also able to commission services from local optometrists to provide treatment for minor eye conditions if they feel that is necessary to meet local needs. Those concerned they may have a minor eye condition can visit their GP, optical practice or pharmacy.